The present invention relates to laminar separation methods and apparatus and, more particularly, to new and improved methods and apparatus of this character embodying simple yet highly effective means for supplying and distributing a composite liquid such as a suspension or emulsion uniformly to the respective separation channels in the apparatus.
In conventional laminar separation apparatus, separation of sediment from a suspension or of liquids in an emulsion is accompanied by supplying the suspension or emulsion to a plurality of separation passages formed between a plurality of parallel, spaced apart plates, all inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. In operation, the sediment in the suspension or the heavier liquid in the emulsion sinks downwardly in the separation passages, flows past the lower edges of the plates, and is removed at the bottom of the separation apparatus, while the remaining liquid flows upwardly and is eventually discharged through outlets at the upper ends of the plate passages.
The influent suspension or emulsion is usually supplied to the separation passages via a distributor positioned close to the plates so that the influent supplied therefrom is allowed to flow into the passages between the plates. Preferably, the distributor is positioned laterally of a plate array or between two plate arrays and is provided with side walls, so that the influent is forced downwardly and enters the passages between the plates some distance below the top edges of the latter. The influent enters the distributor via an inlet form above, or preferably laterally.
For a complete utilization of the capacity of the laminar separation apparatus, it is of the utmost importance to obtain an even and uniform distribution of the influent composite liquid to the separation passages. In prior apparatuses, however, it has been difficult to accomplish this result. To begin with, the influent entering the distributor is highly concentrated and also undirected. This tends to overload certain separation passages positioned some distance from the inlet pipe, while other closer as well as more remote separation passages receive too low a load. Load in this respect relates to the amount of suspension or emulsion per unit time flowing into a separation passage. In some cases, certain separation passages do not receive any influent from the distributor; instead only clarified liquid enters the separation passage from the outlet of the distributor. Optimum operation obtains when the influent flow is evenly and uniformly distributed over all of the separation passages.